"Here,"
The little demon, opening her palm, held an ancient ring.
"Whoa, looks like high-class stuff."
Chen Yu, taking the ring, examined it for a long time.
The ring was inlaid with a pure black gemstone. Upon closer inspection, its internal patterns resembled a ferocious demon with spread wings.
"What is this?"
Noticing the patterns, Chen Yu narrowed his eyes. The demon in the gemstone seemed to come alive, baring its sharp teeth at him.
Almost instinctively, Chen Yu threw the ring away, cold sweat breaking out all over him.
"Hey, be careful." The little demon, lightly tapping her toes, caught the ring and looked at Chen Yu's pale face with a hidden smile in her dark eyes. "Look at you, so scared. How can you be so timid?"
"The pattern in the gemstone moved." Chen Yu whispered.
"Of course it moved."
The little demon, gently wiping the ring's gemstone with her finger, smiled at Chen Yu, then floated to his ear and murmured.
"There's a demon sealed inside this ring."
"Really?" Learning that a demon was sealed inside the ring, Chen Yu was no longer afraid. He reached out and snatched the ring back, examining it again.
The sealed demon still bared its teeth ferociously, but this time, it didn't scare Chen Yu.
"Alive?"
"Probably still alive." The little demon shrugged. "Its physical body was destroyed, and its soul was sealed within. The ring space's nourishment comes from its soul. As long as the internal space still exists, it means its soul hasn't perished. See, it's even greeting you. Looks like its spirit is quite good."
"You did this?"
Chen Yu, holding the ring, raised an eyebrow. The little demon smiled noncommittally.
Indeed, a former Great Demon King was not simple.
Sealing the demon's soul within the ring's gemstone to sustain the space as nourishment. Being able to do this proved that the little demon's strength was absolutely superior to this demon, or rather, she could crush it.
She could have easily taken the demon's life, yet she chose to torment it in this manner.
Ruthless!
Chen Yu clicked his tongue and said with a mysterious smile.
"Your enemy?"
"Not really. He's at most a lackey under my enemy." The little demon stretched lazily, unconcerned. "This ring is for you from now on. After all, you're the lord of two cities, and the only decent storage item you have is Ilya's bracelet, which is too shabby."
"Won't this demon pop out and bite me?"
"Maybe."
The little demon raised an eyebrow with a mischievous grin. Seeing her expression, Chen Yu was completely relieved. He put the ring on his finger.
The wristwatch scanned the ring's surface—
[Demon Ring (Pseudo-Saint Item): A ring sealing a King-level demon]
???
Chen Yu looked up in astonishment at the moment he saw the level, only to see the little demon's smile.
"No need to thank me too much. Just play with it."
Gulp.
Although the little demon said that, Chen Yu still felt this gift was a bit too much.
A Pseudo-Saint item!
Chen Yu had been in the catacombs for so long, and only the Command Token surpassed it in level.
Chen Yu, his heart filled with shock, probed the ring's internal space with his consciousness. What appeared was not the vast, seemingly endless space he had imagined.
Ten thousand tons of grain were stored within, and it already seemed a bit crowded.
"Sister Ba, does this ring have any special functions? The space feels a bit small." Chen Yu pointed at the ring on his finger with a look of confusion.
It was a Pseudo-Saint item, after all. Even a Black Obsidian grade ring would have a much larger internal space than this.
"Didn't you pay any attention to what I just told you?" The little demon tapped Chen Yu's head. "I told you, the ring's internal space is maintained by the demon's soul in the gemstone. Maintaining a large space would require more soul power. When such a large space isn't needed, why would you create it and waste the labor's soul?"
"So, you mean..." Chen Yu raised his eyebrows suspiciously.
"You can expand it when you need to." The little demon spread her hands. Chen Yu immediately understood, and his gaze towards the ring became even more joyful.
As expected, a good treasure! The space could be expanded and shrunk at any time.
The little demon was right. He didn't need such a large space now. He could create it when needed. Although a King-level demon was sealed inside, its soul power was bound to be abundant. Being economical would ensure it lasted longer.
"May I ask, what is the realm of a King-level demon?"
"Saint level."
"Hiss, so that's how it is!" Chen Yu's mouth twitched slightly. Hearing the little demon's casual reply, he felt even more confused about the little demon's past.
Chen Yu had never doubted the little demon's strength.
From the moment he entered the catacombs and learned of her identity, Chen Yu had always believed that the little demon was the ceiling of power he had encountered. Even now, with his elemental affinity in the thousands, almost possessing strength comparable to a saint, he still believed that if the little demon wanted to deal with him, it wouldn't take much effort.
Seemingly unassuming, she was definitely one of the top combat forces in the catacombs.
Chen Yu was also very curious: how could someone like the little demon, who looked down upon the entire catacombs, who could easily seal even a saint-level demon in a ring and use its soul as nourishment, be so easily defeated?
Although both the little demon and Sona were reluctant to mention their pasts.
From their conversations, Chen Yu could roughly gather that the Holy Church's destruction of the little demon's Demon King's Fortress was not a prolonged war.
It was more like a lightning strike!
The entire campaign should have lasted less than half a year.
This puzzled Chen Yu greatly.
Was the Holy Church that powerful?
Why was it that Chen Yu had been in the catacombs for so long, traversing many cities in the Tartarus Kingdom, yet he had never heard of the Holy Church, nor had he encountered anyone from the Holy Church?
An organization that could destroy a Demon King's Fortress as powerful as the little demon's in half a year.
Yet, it was unknown in the catacombs.
Was it a joke?!
If Sona were here, Chen Yu might have genuinely asked her out of curiosity.
She probably wouldn't have said anything either.
The little demon's background was truly an unsolvable mystery. As it stood, Chen Yu felt it was still a long way off for him to avenge her. His current strength against the little demon's mortal enemy would likely turn his year-plus of development to ashes in a single encounter. He still had a long way to go, and the Clear Spring Water must not stop.
Chen Yu had made up his mind: he would win by eating!
His talent allowed him to continuously gain attribute points from attribute-enhancing foods without a cap. Therefore, he could use this to continuously stack attributes.
Realm was no longer important to him.
A saint?!
If his elemental affinity exceeded ten thousand, and his defense broke through a million, let alone a saint, he would dare to fight even a god.
What was there to fear?
He was an attribute warrior, not a realm warrior!
Although there was still some distance to go, he was young. He had ample time to stack attributes. As long as he didn't perish along the way, then everything he had just thought would not be a mere illusion.
Regardless, obtaining a Pseudo-Saint item ring was a huge gain for Chen Yu.
Gently stroking the gemstone on the ring, the demon sealed within still grinned and showed off its claws.
"You little brat, behave yourself!"
"If you bare your teeth at me again, I'll smash this gemstone directly, leaving your soul with no place to reside, and you'll disappear from this world completely."
Chen Yu actually said it casually, but to his surprise, the demon inside seemed to understand his words.
It truly stopped baring its fierce expression and became quiet.
"Even Saints fear death. Although it's frustrating to be sealed now, at least he has hope of surviving." The little demon, noticing this, shrugged. "Unfortunately, this very thought of his dooms him to be sealed in this ring forever. It would be better to just die and be free."
"Shush!"
Seeing the little demon say such things, Chen Yu quickly covered her mouth.
"Don't let him die! If he dies, who will work for us?"
"I've told you, this guy won't die." The little demon said sternly. "Do you think a Saint's will is so easily broken? If he were to die after saying just a couple of words, wouldn't his previous ten thousand years of suffering be in vain? Besides, the ring is in your hands, and he can't come out of the gemstone. Whether he lives or dies is controlled by you."
"That's true."
Chen Yu smiled and nodded, flicking the gemstone on the ring twice with his finger.
It seemed the sealed demon was indeed quite afraid of death. After being threatened by Chen Yu, even when Chen Yu flicked its host body with his finger, it remained docile and offered no resistance.
This was good too. If it was obedient, Chen Yu would have less to worry about.
"Have the food transporters been dealt with as well?" Chen Yu, no longer paying attention to the ring, brought the conversation back to the main topic. The little demon nodded slightly. "Yabo has taken all the food transporters for centralized management. Their survival wristbands were also taken away by me the moment they entered the granary, so there's absolutely no way they can contact anyone outside."
"That's good." Chen Yu nodded slightly.
The people entrusted with transporting food were actually among those Chen Yu trusted most in this city. For example, the members of the food-gathering team he encountered outside when he first returned to Fengqi City, who were being blocked by the cave monsters.
The other personnel were also those who had served on the food-gathering team before.
Being willing to serve the City Lord's mansion in such a situation at Fengqi City, and going out to find food for the refugees within the city, should be trustworthy.
Chen Yu did this purely to avoid any unexpected events.
"As you instructed, everything has been done. Now, we just need those fools to fall into the trap, right?" The little demon tilted her head, a smile in her eyes. Chen Yu reached out and ruffled her head. "What fools? We've just exploited an information gap. Have you been looking at everyone as a fool since you've been staying with me?"
"You're the biggest fool of all," the little demon laughed.
Chen Yu immediately glared at her playfully. The little demon shook her head and wagged her tongue backward as she retreated. After a moment of playful banter, the little demon hugged her arms.
"When do you think they'll make a move?"
"Tonight!"
"Really? Are they that anxious?" The little demon raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "You've just set the trap, and they're already rushing to get in? Even a傻狍子 (silly deer) isn't that foolish."
"Why wouldn't they be anxious?"
Chen Yu looked up towards the direction of the granary, his gaze deep.
"If they give me more time, this city will be completely stabilized. How could those people be willing to see such a scene? With monsters lurking outside, if it weren't for the lurking monsters serving as our defense line, they would have already sent troops to attack. If they weren't in a hurry, how would the city's flaws be exposed? If you don't believe me, let's make a bet?"
"What are we betting on?"
"We bet on whether the granary will catch fire after nightfall. If it catches fire, I win. If there's peace throughout the night, you win. The stakes don't need to be too high. Let's bet on... a chance for you to act."
"A chance for me to act?"
"When I'm truly in desperate straits, you must save me." Chen Yu's eyes held solemnity. "I mean you must save my life with all your might."
"Ha!"
From confusion and suspicion to playfulness and interest, the little demon's expression changed in an instant. She gently hugged her shoulders and looked at Chen Yu with great interest.
"And if you lose?"
"You can do whatever you want with me." Chen Yu spread his hands with a smile. The little demon looked at him with a smile for a while longer, her dark eyes suddenly flashing with an intimidating purple light. "Alright, it's a bet!"
The moment the little demon finished speaking, Chen Yu's heart involuntarily relaxed.
Good, this round is guaranteed!